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S Read the passage below and answer the questions.
図 There are several reasons behind the growing crisis, The first is waste. About 70 % of our
fresh water is used to grow crops.
It takes 1,000 tons of water to grow just one ton of wheat.
Unfortunately, around 60% of that water is wasted.
回 water 1s our most important natural resource. However, only 2.5% of water on the Earth 18
not salty. Demand for fresh water has risen sharply in the last 50 years, and it is still riSing.
Finding answers to these problems may be one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century.
回 Overuse also puts pressure on water supplies, In the USA, 95% of the country's fresh water
comes from underground sources.
With so much water being used to grow crops and raise
livestock, water levels aredropping rapidly. Once used, those supplies are gone forever.
D The fresh water crisis is not limited to poor countries. In fact, rich and poor countries from
Asia to Europe to North America are facing shortages. It's a growing problem that could soon
affect us all.
E Second, pollution is another big problem. Many of the world's great rivers are badly polluted
and many people depend on the rivers. Their health is affected by the health of the river. Steps
are being taken to clean up some rivers, but it can take many years.
E In many poor countries around the world, people already live in crisis. More than one billion
people have no access to clean water. That leads to millions of deaths every year. By 2025, about
25 African countries may face severe water shortages.
